I was afraid to miss out on the latest social media hacks and marketing tricks. I felt restless, and always behind.

I didn’t like that feeling.

So, I decided to unhook myself from the nervous skimming. I learned to ignore 99% of online advice. I learned to be okay with missing out, with not knowing, with the feeling of being behind.

And I discovered that the latest trends, the social media conversations and even the news are far less important than I thought.

I diverted my attention to real reading

I found that real reading is more pleasurable and enriching than scanning texts.

I read for three main reasons:

To relax and escape today’s madness

To acquire knowledge and wisdom, to make sense of life

To keep up to date with trends

The third reason—keeping up to date—dominated my early years on the web, the years where I was figuring out what to do, what business to start, and how to market myself. But now, I try to minimize the time I spend on keeping up to date.

Which of the three reasons for reading is most important to you?

Even relaxed reading improves your writing skills

I love reading good stories and thrillers. It’s my chance to escape, to unhook myself from bad news, to take a break.

But even when I read to relax, I still improve my writing skills.

Especially as a non-native speaker, reading helps me learn new words. Or words that I vaguely know become more prominent in my memory, more ready to use in my writing. Reading also helps improve the rhythm of my writing.

Even when I don’t pay attention, writing techniques occasionally jump out at me and enrich my writing:

I’m not sure whether I notice these things because I’m obsessed by writing and love studying how others write.

I suspect that all of us get influenced by what we read. If you read only academic articles, you’ll be prone to writing longer sentences and using the passive voice. If you read more poetry, you’ll learn to write more concisely and more sensory. When you read conversational blog posts, you’ll use more everyday language in your writing, too.

So, when we read the voices most resonating with us, we adapt our own writing. That’s how we find our writing voice.

Reading inspires my blogging, too

When I started blogging, I mostly read to keep up to date with marketing trends.

I “read” a lot of blog posts. I selected books based on articles like “The Top 10 Books Every Business Owner Must Read in 2018” or “The 7 Books Bill Gates Reads on Vacation.”

But why should I care about what business leaders like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett read? And how important are the latest trends to my work and my life?

I’ve found it more satisfying to minimize reading about the latest trends and follow my curiosity when choosing which non-fiction books to read. Not every book I read turns into a blog post, but quite a surprising number of books inspire my writing. For instance:

Sometimes I choose a book because I think it might be useful for writing a blog post. This was the case with Donald Miller’s book on marketing and storytelling. But mostly, I follow my curiosity and I don’t know whether a book will be useful for my blog or not.

I rarely do specific research for a blog post because regular reading gives me enough input for writing, especially when reading outside my core topic of writing.

I read what I like. Because when I read what fascinates me, I feel more inspired and I’m curious to learn more.

How to read to learn more

When I read non-fiction, I learn more when I actively use information rather than simply consume a text.

So, I try to understand what I read more deeply. I ask myself:

What is this book about?

What have I learned from it? What do I find most interesting?

How does the information fit with what I know already?

How does it apply to the topic of my expertise (writing)?

I mostly read on Kindle, and I highlight fragments that I find interesting, such as:

A commonplace book is a central resource or depository for ideas, quotes, anecdotes, observations and information you come across during your life and didactic pursuits. The purpose of the book is to record and organize these gems for later use in your life, in your business, in your writing, speaking or whatever it is that you do.

~ Ryan Holiday

A commonplace book can be a Moleskine notebook or a stack of index cards. The advantage of index cards is that it’s easy to reorder the cards and recategorize them if you’re thinking of new themes. You can also use Evernote to create a digital version of a commonplace book.

I’m not that organized, but I like reading my Kindle notes to refresh my mind on the key points of a book. And my blog functions a little as a commonplace book as I share what I’ve learned and relate book-knowledge to my own experiences.

I am grateful for books

And I’m grateful for the authors writing their books.

They help me keep my blog fresh, and they help me avoid the internet echo chamber.

Books provide an escape, enrich my life, and help me make sense of the world.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Oh, Henneke… please, please, please either write a novel and /or start offering a creative writing course (you’ll have to charge a bit less, as we starving writer types can’t afford what marketing copywriters can pay!). I already share as many of your posts as possible with my writing friends. It would be a dream come true if you ever choose to write stories of your own, and maybe teach us how to apply these lessons and principles to our own words. Thanks for all the wisdom you share!

You’ll probably laugh at this but writing a novel still feels so much outside my comfort zone. I wouldn’t know what story to tell. I feel more at ease teaching business writers how to write more creatively to engage their audience. But who knows … 8 years ago I didn’t think I was a writer either so I have stretched my self-belief quite a lot already!

Great post! I’m usually more creative when I quit chasing ‘what’s working now’ and trends, and focus more on how I can help my audience, combined with what I’m most passionate about. Oh, and I’m reading Winds of War by Herman Wouk. I’m learning how to write political dialogue from that book 🙂 . Thanks for an inspiring post!

I also found that my sweet spot of blogging is at the intersection of what helps my audience and what interests me (and sometimes an off-topic experiment). I just checked ou Wouk on Amazon and he sounds like a great storyteller. I have added the book to my wish list. Thank you for the tip! 🙂

Thanks Henneke. Finished a book two days ago about the founder of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor. Last night a book on Prayer by Kay Arthur. I commute to Johannesburg most Saturdays and am listening (repeatedly) to the audible version of Anne Janzer’s the Writing Process- highly recommended (the repeatedly part I’m learning from my 4 year old son — there’s definitely something there, because I learn new things from Janzer every time I listen to it. Other ideas are cemented plus I got ideas for an upcoming blog from this repetition stuff.

It sounds like your an eclectic reader, too 🙂 When I was still commuting (before I started my blog), I listened a lot to podcasts. I tried listening to audio books, too, but struggled to get into it. I think I find it hard to concentrate when listening. But maybe I should have tried putting the books on repeat, too.

I couldn’t agree more! You sometimes get the most innovative ideas or angles for your copy from unexpected places (fiction, non-fiction that’s not related to your specific field, self-help books, etc.).

What I personally do is to alternate fiction books with non-fiction books on my reading list. It’s also a nice way to disconnect from mobile devices/social media if you have a long commute to work and use public transport 🙂

Something else I noticed (and maybe you can also give your opinion on that) is that reading in different languages enriches your writing. I’m a native French speaker, which means that I tend to overload texts. Reading and writing in English has helped me to be more concise and efficient. And conversely, my French has driven me to make my English sound more ‘poetic’ when it was needed (I’m not saying that English is not poetic, just that it isn’t expressed in the same way as in French 😉 ).

It’s funny, I feel the exact same way about Danish! It just feels clunky and like stumbling down a hill full of boulders, hitting everything in my way. The language is good for sarcastic humour and definitely not poetic. Not for me 🙂 It’s why I’m in the process of translating my entire website into English right now. A HUGE project, but better for my sanity in the long run.

? “Scurrying, scanning and always feeling behind” — such a familiar feeling! I still often spend too much time scanning, but I am also learning to recognise faster when I need to unplug.

Input is necessary for generating new ideas, so for me it’s necessary to find a happy medium between ‘springboarding’ off something inspiring I see versus ‘rehashing’ what I see or hear (which reduces everything I create to the lowest common denominator).

I sometimes still get into the scanning mode, too, especially when I am tired. A sure sign for me to take a break!

I like your phrase springboarding. I am trying to think how that works for me and I think I usually need to engage with something at a deeper level or even let it incubate for a while before I get ideas of how to apply it and use it in my own writing. Creativity is fascinating isn’t it?

It doesn’t always happen to me that a writing technique jumps out at me. I rea quite a few of the Jack Reacher books before I realized how the pacing worked. Maybe my insight was als triggered by something else. I sometimes really don’t know where ideas come from!

For years (decades actually), I’ve immersed myself in self-development books, from Emil Coue to Napoleon Hill to Jeff Olson to Earl Nightingale to Brian Tracy to Jack Canfield — more than 50 different authors.

Earlier this year, on a lark, I picked up some old Horatio Alger stories, written primarily for boys … written back in the mid to late 1800s.

Probably won’t help my writing style much–the language was much more stilted back then. But boy, it’s broadened my vocabulary. It’s fascinating to see how the meanings of words have morphed over the last 150 years. (Thanks to Kindle, clicking a word brings up a dictionary entry.)

I read both fiction and non fiction. Both of them help me guide my thinking, in one way or the other. Fiction helps me convert my emotions to words and live the moment. Non-fiction widen my logical and analytical thinking. They provide me the sound knowledge. I read more books from English and Tamil. Because thinking in your mother tongue apart from English, can let you search through thesaurus and build vocabulary. I love Alchemist and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. I would recommend anyone to read it, when they become, pessimistic towards their life.

Dear Henneke, your article is as brilliant as always. You always provide such valuable tips. And I 100% agree that reading a literature improves writing. Even Steven King suggests to spend all available time on reading. I am reading the Shining by S. King and stories by R. Kipling now. And I am very grateful to you for your enchanting blog. Thank you.

Wow, that was a lot like reading my own ideas for why I read. I too used to read tons of blogs about ‘how to’ write. How to blog, how to do this but not that, and so on, and stopped because it ate up valuable time and constantly made me shift my ideas of what was (deemed) the right way. I read fiction books for relaxation and learn how to build a plot, use vocabulary to ‘show not tell’ and forever learning new words. Non fiction similarly…if it doesn’t interest me, it’s not worth my time, a book has to make me want to give up on another book or activity.

I like your idea that a book must be good enough to give up on another book. I sometimes still find it hard to quit reading a book even when I don’t like it or find it boring. I’ll remember your suggestion next time I try to force myself to read something. Life is too short to read boring books.

Thank you for this post. I have learned from you and from James Clear the importance of keeping a “common place book”, summarizing points to remember. This week have just completed both “The Crossover”, by Kwame Alexander, and “Out of the Dust”, by Karen Hesse. Not a basketball fan nor of hip-hop, but what a read! and I learned of the strength and sheer grit it took by those who chose to remain on their land during and after the effects of the dust bowl.

Henneke, well done as always. I’m not a writer perhaps a wanna-be Yay! I stumbled upon your site a few weeks ago, and what do you know, inspiration fell upon me. You are indeed a blessing (to me anyway’s) I’m sure others as well. In what little time I’ve had studying your blog and other literature of yours there a sense of real honesty and genuinely care about helping people. Which in today’s world is rare. Whew! That’s a lot for me to write and say, Any-who that’s my (rant) an I sticking to it.

Back to reading, I don’t do a lot of reading, (which I should and will). I do however read One book quite often. It’s non-fiction it’s 66 books Swallowed up into One big cover, of course nowadays with computers at our disposal that make it incredibly easy to access.

It took around 1500 years to complete; it contains things like History, Adventure, Poetry, Wisdom, romance all under One Roof. Can you guess what it is; Aw! Come-on! Yep, you guessed it; it’s the Bible. Not only will it get your writing juices flowing, but also, the way you approach life. (Very, Very I say unto you) how’s that for a headline!

Thank you, Steven, for your lovely compliment on my writing. And as you’ve just written a long comment, you’re a writer, too. But it doesn’t matter what you call yourself. You don’t have to call yourself a writer to write.

I didn’t identify as a writer for a long time. Only after blogging for a few years, I started to see myself s a writer.

Great post again. Part of my blog: Read. Think. Walk. Write is about how reading of all kinds feeds my writing.

Another great thing about reading books is they give a broader perspective, especially in terms of time.

We get a break from obsessing about the latest trends on the Internet by reading a book that was written 10, 50, or a hundred years ago, and finding that it still has valuable insights about living as a human being.

Oh, and this week I’m reading the Bible, as I do every week; a humorous book by Bill Bryson about life in England; several magazines; a few well-chosen newsletters and blog posts; a book about healing massage techniques; a poem here and there; and a very old children’s book by Susan Coolidge.

Currently I’m enjoying an audiobook about a woman who was kidnapped by a mass murderer and survived. It is autobiographical. Also is read by the author. I am enjoying her Mississippi slang and her youthful mannerisms very much. I might not have enjoyed the written version much, but not having to work to read it, having it read to me as I drive places, has been fun. I love to read biographies. Even if they are not well-written, I learn life lessons, amazing true stories, and even often can brush up on history. But when they are well-written, they often are like walking through a mirror into another world. Sandburg’s biography of Lincoln is one. And an autobiography called In Silence: Growing up Hearing in a Deaf World, buy Ruth Sidranski, is one I read over, about every two years. This woman did not learn to speak well at all until she began grade school. Neither of her parents could hear or speak well. So she communicated in American Sign Language and her writing is amazing–as beautiful as ASL, but in English. Her wise dad always spoke to her in sign about words in English, forcing her to learn more and more new words. Truly, she also speaks English as a second language with ASL being her mother tongue. Now she is a retired university literature professor. And her book is simply marvelous; the words dance like ASL. I read it over and over because I know it improves my writing. How I long to write like she does! Another I have learned so much from (this one a fiction) is Peretti’s book This Present Darkness. I decide, usually about every three years, to read it again, notebook in hand, and figure out how he manages to draw me in with his words. Every time, I get to about page 86 or so and realize I’ve taken NO notes and he’s done it again! Haha! I will not give up! Spanish is my second language and I have enjoyed reading some ancient classics in Spanish, to further my grasp on the language. That is hard. However I have noticed the writing techniques we learn in English can also apply in Spanish, and I enjoy even being able to grasp what the author was doing with his words, how he built suspense or created humor, etc., and I think it is because the language is still categorized in my brain sometimes, not flowing completely naturally yet. Of course, the older works are not filled with the everyday chit chat we learn in foreign language courses. 🙂 Thanks for writing this. I have heard over and over how important it is for writers to read. I’ve not understood that until now. I so appreciate this post, and will pick up a book soon!

You are welcome! If I had to recommend only one book, Ruth’s would be the one. Frank Peretti’s books were so popular here, for a while they were sold even in grocery stores. Thrilling accounts. I usually never like fiction, and especially not thrillers, but… 😀

Great stuff Henneke, I’m just on a reading diet too, needing distance from the book to be edited and have set a week aside for reading other people’s books. Classics so far also, Art of War, and of course doing this course I had to use the book, of Story Grid, not my scene as a story. I hated the guy in the movie, but that is the story in that book, which can be applied to any other book. It’s been hard going but hopefully, it pays off at the end.

I have been following your blog for about a year now. I have always been an avid reader — ever since my sister taught me to read “Barney Beagle and the Cat” when I was 4. But, you have inspired me to think more about the writing when I am reading. I try to pay attention to why I like certain authors and certain books. And why I dislike others.

I usually read several books at a time, mixing nonfiction with fiction. Right now, I am reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, The Richness of Life by Stephen Jay Gould, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

I love anthropology and was excited to start Sapiens. But, I am really disappointed in the book. I find that I keep asking myself, “What is he trying to say?” I think this is what drove me to re-read Gould. He is the best science writer there is. He can take two apparently disparate ideas — one scientific and one everyday — and use them to make you understand both better. I am also enjoying The Book Thief more than anticipated. I find have Death as the narrator to be inspired.

I am going to take you suggestion to start a commonplace book. I keep intending to start a daily journal and believe this is one way I may actually do it!

I have Sapiens on my list to read, too. I am sorry that you were disapointed by it as I was looking forward to reading it. I have just added Gould’s book to my reading list. I hadn’t heard of it yet and I appreciate your recommendation. Now I just need to find even more time for reading!

‘The 7 books Bill Gates reads on vacation’, haha! Yeah, right. FOMO is creeping up on me now and again. As it probably does on most people. It’s killing. (Literally, too, because even in rush hour half of the byciclists have stuck their noses to screens and don’t pay attention to the traffic.)

I’m not sure we can ever completely defeat the fear of missing out. It still creeps up on me, too, but I am more aware of it when that happens and it has become easier to take a step back and laugh at myself.

This post has been an adventure. The post is rich and then all the links to other nuggets of wisdom put it over the top. I look forward to studying this post and the links within it more in the near future. Mostly, I appreciate your ease of communication and how it resonates with me. I hope in my continued reading, it will rub off on me. I connect with your love for reading. I love reading too. I also value this joyful, relaxed approach. Thanks.

I love this post. I remembering feeling the same as you, except I was a news junkie and reading the news for hours every day on public transport was depressing. Finally, I bought a Kindle and started reading books, both fiction and non. The first year I had my Kindle I read 77 books. That was four years ago and I haven’t stopped reading since. I credit books with getting me out of my rut, leaving a job I hated, and pursing a career that made me feel more authentic and purposeful.

I find inspiration from reading a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction. Recently I reread most of Raymond Carver’s short stories. I love his great descriptions of everyday life that suddenly give way to “Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming!”

Recently,”Disrupt Yourself,”a business book by Whitney Johnson inspired me about my “why” on specializing in email marketing writing. Because I can help you find the power of communicating your “why” through the power of email. Even if you hate the idea of putting down your hopes and dreams in writing. That’s why I call email your “holy grail” of marketing.

This concept from a book I almost gave up on because it’s written by and geared towards corporate investment banker types. But I was drawn by the title and chapters like, Embrace Constraints and Be Driven by Discovery.

The figure out your “why” big idea, how you can use your talents to make lives, yours and others, better didn’t come until the very end of the book. With a great story of how a drug sales rep uses the image of a little old lady who came up to him in a doctors office hallway to motivate him. To give his job his best effort every day after she thanked him for his efforts to extend her life so she could watch her grandkids grow up.

Read wide and long. You never know what you might learn and from where.

Hi Henneke, Discovered this giant gem about reading and writing while forging in the new book section of the library. An excellent way to spend a rainy weekend day. From,”The Ideal of Culture: Essays,” Joseph Epstein. “Writing requires herding the wild cats of stray observations and inchoate notions, and organization of one’s thought, or at least to the point where it is presentable for public inspection. I know some writers who are incapable of concentrated thinking without a pen in hand or a computer keyboard under their fingers. I happen to be one of them.” Yes, I too feel almost naked without my trusty Moleskin notebook within reach. To jot down notes so I can really learn from my reading. I hope this message finds you well.

When I read for pleasure, I generally want to read more. I’m also more creative in my writing — the words flow better. But, when I try to do too much self-development and business reading, I often become overwhelmed and uninspired, and I get out of the reading habit. Now, I try to balance 2-3 fun reads to one business or self-development book. As for blog posts, I’m subscribed to a bunch of marketing newsletters, and I only read the articles that grab my attention.

Yes! I can get overwhelmed by some business books, too. I prefer reading books that are about a specific topic rather than books that give a broad overview. And fiction books are often much better written so much nicer to read!

Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment, Holly. I appreciate it 🙂

I love this paragraph: – “So, I decided to unhook myself from the nervous skimming. I learned to ignore 99% of online advice. I learned to be okay with missing out, with not knowing, with the feeling of being behind.”

I think I’m reaching that tipping point. I already abandoned the news years ago – I escape upstairs to read my latest fiction book. But I think it’s time to stop the ‘nervous skimming’ too. And perhaps invest in some non-fiction books. I usually have to research content when I write for clients, so why not ‘skim’ the web then rather than trying to stay informed of everything else in-between.

Fortunately, the enchanting party never stops, so you can never really be late 🙂

Have you abandoned the news completely? I keep going back to reading the news, then back off again, then start again. But I have completely given up on reading live news feeds (which was really my worst time waster).

I try not to watch the news on TV. I catch the occasional headline or major story. But there’s not much you can do to change world events. I find a lot of news is sensationalized, and politicians are liars. So it’s mainly a source of negativity I can live without.

Normally, you can quote small parts from articles or books without copyright infringement. It’s a different matter if you’re quoting a lot from one source or if you benefit financially from quoting someone, for instance by selling a t-shirt or mug with someone else’s quote–you can’t do that without express permissions. Opinions are slightly divided about whether and how much you can quote someone else in a book as you also profit financially from a book. To be at the safe side, either don’t quote (you can paraphrase instead) or ask for permission.

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About Henneke

I never saw myself as a writer, but in my early forties, I learned how to write and discovered the joy of writing. Now, I’d like to empower you to find your voice, share your ideas and inspire your audience.Learn how I can help you